Unfinished Song

If you could hug a movie you would definitely give "Unfinished Song" a big squeeze. Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, this charming slice of humanity gets a huge boost of watchability from its sublime performances and smart and natural screenplay.

The continually luminous Vanessa Redgrave and the remarkable Terence Stamp are perfectly peered as pensioners going about their pleasant but unremarkable lives.

Arthur (Stamp) is a bit of a grump, estranged from their son (Christopher Eccleston) but fond of his granddaughter (Orla Hill). Marion (Redgrave) brings some sparkle into her life by singing with a seniors chorus run by Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton). Their lives take a hard turn and each of them must cope with the change.

This charming slice of humanity gets a huge boost of watchability from its sublime performances and smart and natural screenplay.

There is a wonderful spare quality to the acting, superbly demonstrated by Redgrave and Stamp, which allows the drama in their lives to reach into your heart. The conflicts are real and the emotions are honest and deeply felt.

The pathos is leavened with music and there is a giddy "Glee"-like aspect to parts of the film as filtered through the lens of the mature but very vibrant and engaging ensemble of choristers. Redgrave gives a lovely reading of "True Colors" and Stamp's finale is heart-rending.

With no Blu-ray available, the DVD release is 94-minutes of a 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation with Dolby Digitial 5.1 sound and includes chapter marks, and captions in English and Spanish. Bonuses include the obligatory handful of deleted scenes and an out-takes gag reel with a funny final bit.

"Unfinished Song"?DVD$24.98anchorbayent.com

Robert Sokol is the editor at BAYSTAGES, the creative director at VIA MEDIA, and the program manager for The [TBA] Awards. Writer, diva wrangler, cinefiler, and occasional saloon singer, he has been touching showbiz all his life. (So far no restraining orders have been issued!) His by-line also appears in the San Francisco Examiner, Theatre Bay Area Magazine, The Sondheim Review, and other regional or national publications and websites.

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